Sirocco´s operation taking place tomorrow

Hello everybody there! First of all I´m very happy to be back, well, I´ve been very busy (lots of work and study) and I haven´t been able to join PetTalk properly (I have been reading threads from time to time, though!)
Well, in fact, last 2 weeks haven´t been easy at all for me. I took Siro to the vet due to some problem with his ears (Ear mites was the cause) Well, I HATE going to the vet, almost as much as Siro does. I wasn´t happy at all with the vet´s attitude. Well, the point is that I asked the vet about neutering the cat. Siro is 9 months old now (here in Spain vets advise on altering animals not too young) and he was evasive when I asked about the best moment to perform the operation... Last 10 days have been hell for me.. I had to administer the ear medicine (some drops Sirocco doesn´t like at all) so he´s now avoiding me from fear of the medicine. But I have also noticed a change in his behaviour - he no longer wants to play with us, nor pays attention to us. He´s spent last week crying :( , especially early in the morning, in a way that breaks my heart, for I always get up and look at him to try to understand what the probem is, but he just stares back and meows. I don´t think he´s ill (hope not :eek: ) for he´s very active, playing with Greta all the time (Greta is a she-kitten aged one month old) but he IS sad. I think it´s because of the hormons, I can´t see other explanation, for the only thing that has changed lately is the coming of the new kitten, and they get along quite well, and Siro´s "sadness" came even after he and Greta got used to each other. I am also very affectionate with him ( as I´ve always been, and I know you know the kind of affection I´m talking about, you crazy petlovers!)

Well sorry for such a long post but I am sarting worrying about tomorrow´s operation, and I also don´t know what´ll come later, so please any advice or suggestion is welcome. I miss my old Siro, the way he enjoyed playing "Hide & Seek" with me, and of course I don´t want to hear him crying all along the house anymore. Is the operation going to solve some of this? I must confess I am a bit afraid about tomorrow, please support!

Nita

Hi - I would change Vet's if you don't like him/her/them. It sounds to me as though your kitty (ruling out illness, such as UTI, with the Vet) - I would suggest that he is maturing and his hormones are kicking in. Have you tried playing with him a bit more? Some cats are not affection as they get older and outgrow their kittenhood. If you elect to stay with this Vet, and plan to have the cat fixed within the next few days, I would mention your thoughts to the Vet and have him check the cat for illness.

Good luck. Cats can be a real mystery!

Thank you, Sas! Of course I´ll tell the Vet about my concerns... Although I´m not quite assertive, it is important to let people like vets, docs, etc,. about our worries, and they SHOULD listen carefully! There is nothing wrong with my vet (till now!) and I think that day was a bad one for both him and me (it was late and we both had a hard day at work I suppose) Anyway if I´m not happy with his attitude or interest about Sirocco, I´ll look for another one... Well let´s see...
I play with Sirocco as much as I can.. He loves (or used to! :( ) playing Hide & Seek, chasing my fingers under a cushion or the light from the laser pen (as discussed in another thread here in PetTalk) , etc. Some people here in PetTalk reported that after the operations, their cats got more involved with people... I´d like to read about your reports on this matter, for instance, if the cat´s personality is changed throughout the whole process or how to act when the poor boys is back home after the operation... In fact, I don´t like the thought that my cat´s personality is modified by an operation (I mean, Siro must be what he is, and I accept that gladly :) ) but I don´t believe going from one place to other in our home crying is part of his character. He is an indoor cat, though we leave the kitchen window open (we live in a ground floor) but he never dares going out... He´s quite a coward ;) Now seriously, I prefer that, there is such risks for a cat here (and almost everywhere) going " loose" .

Well, thank you again for your words!

Nita

I'llbe thinking of Sirocco today, please let us know how he is doing.

Thinking of you and Sirocco! Hoping that all went well. Please update us when you can!!

I have thought about you all day today, and wondered how things went for Sirocco. Hope you will update us when you can. I sure am ready for my "prayer list" to get shorter, but only because everyone is healing nicely!! :)

Dear all, first of all, thank you for your concern, it's really comforting! and sorry for the missing updates, but I've been having problems with my computer (everything is right now). Anyway, finally, there was no need of updates - I didn't bring Siro to the vet last Monday. I decided to change vet, for a friend who's owned several cats recommended another one. I've visited him today and I think I like this one better! He has a cat himself and explained how the operation is performed and what it involves. So... Siro is going to this vet on Thursday!! Now I don't feel as nervous and uncertain as when I posted the first message on this thread (this surely means I feel happier with the new vet!) but I would like to know what comes after the operation, not from the vet but from YOU! I'm quite informed about the medical facts but I think I'd like to hear about real experiences from real people (and their cats ;) ) For instance, is there any remarkable change in their behaviour? (apart from the obvious things :rolleyes: ) I really appreciate your supporting words and suggestions.

Nita

I think that if you did not feel comfortable with your previous vet you did the right thing when you changed. It's so important to trust them, I have a wonderful vet who truly loves animals.

I did not notice much of a difference in behaviour with my cats after the operation, but I've had mainly females, the male is still quite young, he won't have his operation for a little while yet. The only other male cat I had had his operation 18 years ago and I can't honestly remember :rolleyes:

After the operation they usually feel a bit and queezy and might refuse to eat. Mine used to drink a lot. But it doesn't take long before they go back to be their usual self. For Prema I prepared a nice place in a corner of my room where she could sleep because I thought that with the stitches and with her handicap (a good part of one of her front leg is missing) she would not be able to jump on my bed, well I was wrong and she spent the whole night right next to me.
I will be thinking of Sirocco and you on Thursday.